|
(), a.[Compar.Starker (); superl.Starkest.] [OE. stark stiff, strong, AS. stearc; akin to OS. starc strong, D. sterk, OHG. starc, starah, G. & Sw. stark, Dan. strk, Icel. sterkr, Goth. gastarknan to become dried up, Lith. strgti to stiffen, to freeze. Cf. Starch, a. & n.] 1. Stiff; rigid. Chaucer. Whose senses all were straight benumbed and stark. Spenser. His heart gan wax as stark as marble stone. Spenser. Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies. Shak. The north is not so stark and cold. B. Jonson. 2. Complete; absolute; full; perfect; entire. [Obs.] Consider the stark security The common wealth is in now. B. Jonson. 3. Strong; vigorous; powerful. A stark, moss-trooping Scot. Sir W. Scott. Stark beer, boy, stout and strong beer. Beau. & Fl. 4. Severe; violent; fierce. [Obs.] "In starke stours." [i. e., in fierce combats]. Chaucer. 5. Mere; sheer; gross; entire; downright. He pronounces the citation stark nonsense. Colli Stark (), adv.Wholly; entirely; absolutely; quite; as, stark mind. Shak. Held him strangled in his arms till he was stark dead. Fuller. Stark naked, wholly naked; quite bare. Strip your sword stark naked. Shak. According to Professor Skeat, "stark-naked" is derived from steort-naked, or start-naked, literally tail-naked, and hence wholly naked. If this etymology be true the preferable form is stark-naked. Stark v. t.To stiffen. [R.] If horror have not starked your limbs. H. Taylor. スポンサード リンク
|